Lexic.us

Definition of Ayatollah

1. Noun. A high-ranking Shiite religious leader who is regarded as an authority on religious law and its interpretation and who has political power as well.

Definition of Ayatollah

1. Noun. A religious leader in Iranian Shi’ite Islam; a member of the ’ulama. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Ayatollah

1. [n -S]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Ayatollah

Literary usage of Ayatollah

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Human Rights Watch World Report 1999 by Human Rights Watch Staff (1998)
"In November 1997. after Grand ayatollah Monta/eri had delivered a lecture in Qom ... Grand ayatollah Monta/eri. the former designated successor to the late ..."

2. Endless Torment: The 1991 Uprising in Iraq and Its Aftermath by Eric Goldstein, Middle East Watch (Organization), Andrew Whitley (1992)
"The day after his arrest, Grand ayatollah al-Khoei appeared with Saddam on ... BBC reporter John Simpson noted that the Grand ayatollah "chose his words as ..."

3. World Report 2002: The Events of 2001 by Human Rights Watch (Organization (2002)
"Another persistent challenger to the dominant orthodoxy of the conservative clerics who held power was ayatollah Hossain Ali Montazeri, ..."

4. International Religious Freedom (2000): Report to Congress by the Department edited by Barbara Larkin (2001)
"ayatollah Sheikh Bashir al Hussaini escaped an attempt on his life in January 1999. Grand ayatollah. Mohammad al-Sadr, age 66, was killed in February 1999. ..."

5. Iran: Time For A New Approach by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Robert Michael Gates, Suzanne Maloney (2004)
"... 6) Dissident clerics • Grand ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri: Designated ayatollah Khomeini's heir apparent in 1985, Montazeri was stripped of this post ..."

6. Human Rights Watch World Report 2000: The Events of 1999 by Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch Staff (1999)
"On March 4, a Special Court for the Clergy ruled that it would prosecute any newspaper that even mentioned the name of ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, ..."

7. Human Rights Watch World Report 1992 by Human Rights Watch (Organization (1991)
"The army also rounded up Shi'a clerics in Najaf, including the ninety-five-year-old Grand ayatollah abu al-Qassem al-Kho'i, the revered Shi'a cleric with a ..."

Other Resources: